Instant Pot mac and cheese
Creamy, cheesy mac made start to finish in one pot in about 25 minutes, with no draining and no roux.
- 25 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $1.46 a serving
- 850 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
From your pantry
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 850 calories, 37 g protein, 90 g carbs and 38 g fat, and costs about $1.46 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese works.
- No elbow macaroni? Penne works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No hot sauce? Sriracha works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the cheddar and set it aside.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Dolly’s tip: Grate it yourself. Bagged cheese melts grainy.Put the macaroni, water, butter, salt, mustard and garlic powder in the Instant Pot. Stir, then press the macaroni down so it’s under the water.
Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
Timer: 4 min
Dolly’s tip: It takes about 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the 4 minutes start counting. That’s normal.When it beeps, carefully turn the valve to Venting with a long spoon, keeping your hand and face away from the steam.
Dolly’s tip: If starchy foam sputters out, close the valve for 30 seconds, then vent again in short bursts.Open the lid and stir. A little liquid left in the bottom is good, since it becomes part of the sauce.
Stir in the milk, then the cheese a handful at a time, until and creamy.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Taste, add hot sauce and of salt if you like, and serve right away.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Dolly’s tip: It thickens as it sits. Stir in a splash of milk to loosen it.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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